Return of the Champions
2005 live album by Queen + Paul Rodgers
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Return of the Champions is a double live album by English rock band Queen + Paul Rodgers. All of the tracks, apart from "Imagine", were recorded in May 2005 during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England. "Imagine" was performed in Hyde Park, London on 15 July 2005. The performance was meant to take place on 8 July, but was postponed due to the London bombings that occurred the previous day. The album was released on 19 September 2005. A companion DVD was released in October, directed by David Mallet.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Robert Christgau | D+ link |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [1] |
| Return of the Champions | ||||
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 13 September 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 9 May 2005 | |||
| Venues | Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England | |||
| Genres | Rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 101:00 | |||
| Labels | Parlophone (Europe) Hollywood (US) | |||
| Producers | Joshua J. Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith, Peter Brandt | |||
| Queen + Paul Rodgers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Return of the Champions | ||||
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Track listing
All lead vocals performed by Paul Rodgers, except where noted.
Disc 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reaching Out" | Don Black, Andy Hill | ||
| 2. | "Tie Your Mother Down" | Brian May | A Day at the Races (1976 / Queen) | |
| 3. | "I Want to Break Free" | John Deacon | The Works (1984 / Queen) | |
| 4. | "Fat Bottomed Girls" | May | Jazz (1978 / Queen) | |
| 5. | "Wishing Well" | Free | Heartbreaker (1973 / Free Album) | |
| 6. | "Another One Bites the Dust" | Deacon | The Game (1980 / Queen) | |
| 7. | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Freddie Mercury | The Game | |
| 8. | "Say It's Not True" (Lead Vocals by Taylor) | Roger Taylor | The Cosmos Rocks (2008) | |
| 9. | "'39" (Lead Vocals by May) | May | A Night at the Opera (1975 / Queen) | |
| 10. | "Love of My Life" (Lead Vocals by May) | Mercury | A Night at the Opera | |
| 11. | "Hammer to Fall" (Lead Vocals by May & Rodgers) | May | The Works | |
| 12. | "Feel Like Makin' Love" | Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs | Straight Shooter (1975 / Bad Company) | |
| 13. | "Let There Be Drums" | Sandy Nelson, Richard Podolor | ||
| 14. | "I'm in Love With My Car" (Lead Vocals by Taylor) | Taylor | A Night at the Opera | |
| 15. | "Guitar Solo" (Brighton Rock) | |||
| 16. | "Last Horizon" | May | Back to the Light (1992 / Brian May) |
Disc 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "These Are the Days of Our Lives" (Lead Vocals by Taylor) | Taylor | Innuendo (1991 / Queen) | |
| 2. | "Radio Ga Ga" (Lead Vocals by Taylor & Rodgers) | Taylor | The Works | |
| 3. | "Can't Get Enough" | Ralphs | Bad Company (1974 / Bad Company) | |
| 4. | "A Kind of Magic" | Taylor | A Kind of Magic (1986 / Queen) | |
| 5. | "I Want It All" (Lead Vocals by Rodgers & May) | May | The Miracle (1989 / Queen) | |
| 6. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Pre-Recorded Vocals by Mercury, With Lead Vocals by Rodgers) | Mercury | A Night at the Opera | |
| 7. | "The Show Must Go On" | May | Innuendo | |
| 8. | "All Right Now" | Andy Fraser, Rodgers | Fire and Water (1970 / Free) | |
| 9. | "We Will Rock You" | May | News of the World (1977 / Queen) | |
| 10. | "We Are the Champions" | Mercury | News of the World | |
| 11. | "God Save the Queen" | Traditional, Arr. May | A Night at the Opera |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "It's a Beautiful Day" (Remix / Pre-Recorded Vocals by Mercury) | Mercury | Made in Heaven (1995 / Queen) | |
| 13. | "Imagine" (Live at Hyde Park / Lead Vocals by May, Taylor & Rodgers) | John Lennon |
NOTES: Tracks 12–13 are bonus songs from the DVD
Personnel
- Paul Rodgers – lead vocals, guitars
- Brian May – guitars, arrangements, vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, percussion, vocals
- Spike Edney – keyboards, percussion, vocals
- Jamie Moses – guitars, vocals
- Danny Miranda – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Freddie Mercury – pre-recorded vocals ("Bohemian Rhapsody", "Beautiful Day"), pre-recorded piano ("Bohemian Rhapsody")
Charts
Album
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] | 107 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[3] | 19 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[4] | 52 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[5] | 39 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 19 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[7] | 80 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 13 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[9] | 47 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[10] | 19 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[11] | 28 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[12] | 10 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[13] | 44 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 42 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[15] | 12 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[16] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 84 |
DVD
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Music DVDs Chart[18] | 16 |
| Austrian Music DVDs Chart[19] | 2 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Music DVDs Chart[20] | 7 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Music DVDs Chart[21] | 6 |
| Danish Music DVDs Chart[22] | 10 |
| Dutch Music DVDs Chart[23] | 2 |
| Greek Music DVDs Chart[24] | 3 |
| Italian Music DVDs Chart[25] | 4 |
| Spanish Music DVDs Chart[26] | 6 |
| US Music Videos Chart[27] | 13 |